One Down....Two To Go

It began like this (above)...more than two years ago.

And last Saturday, The Boy came home looking like this! We had forgotten what

he looked like without the braces. He is sure glad it is all over with!

He's been in an extra good mood the last several days...PreShie doesn't

appreciate the new mood too much.

Now, if the time could just pass quickly for PreShie and her braces.....

And Rooster and his braces.....

Last week Mexico celebrated the birthday of Benito Juarez, who was considered

a great leader here. The Rooster was preparing for a band concert last week,

and combed his hair very carefully and slicked it down very well, and I do

mean very well;) Carefully put on his white shirt and tie. When we were leaving

the house he asked, "Mom, how do I look?" to which I answered, "Oh, Roostie,

you look so very handsome!" and then he said..."The kids in my class say that I

look just like Benito Juarez when I comb my hair this way....what do you think?"

And here is Benito Juarez, on Mexico's 20 peso bill.

What do you think? Do you see the likeness???

I haven't laughed so hard in quite a long time....

A Mother just couldn't be prouder!!

Mother Of The Year????....Not This Year!

And here are all of the reasons why...this will not be the year that I am awarded

"MOTHER OF THE YEAR!"

Last week....after several days of being sick, The Boy called from school to tell me

that his eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his head. Not a good sign.

I called The Farmer and quickly made an appointment to see the local Ear, Nose and

Throat Doctor. After he gave The Boy a check up, he informed us that, he, The Boy

had a horrible sinus infection....HORRIBLE!!! He will not only need one treatment of antibiotics but he will need TWO! It was that bad. The Dr. then turned to me

and said "why have you not brought him in before now???"

And he said it in that TONE that Dr.'s can take, when the parent has been irresponsible.

And my answer...."I don't know."

So there you have it....reason number ONE!

REASON #2

PreShie too, has been very sick. And again, I waited and waited to take her to the Dr. until finally it became obvious that she was not getting better. We called the Dr. and he came to the house. After listening to her breathing and checking her lungs, he announced that

PreShie had a HORRIBLE case of bronchitis! YES, BRONCHITIS!

He promptly gave her a shot, which by the way, nearly ruined her life, and he then

went on to describe how very sick she was, and that if she did not improve that night,

she would need to be admitted to the hospital. He gave her a load of medicine as well

as breathing treatments. She is ....thankfully...doing much better.

REASON #3

We ran out of the good stuff (below), that is....GRANOLA. And so what is a Mother to do
when the granola jar is empty?????
Well, fill it up with
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES...of course!
And so I did.

Maybe, had The Darlings had a little granola...they wouldn't have been so sick;)

MOTHER OF THE YEAR???? Not this year!

Maybe next year.

Wish me luck....actually....

Wish The Darlings luck....They are going to need it!

*as I write, The Rooster is sick on the couch...we have some bad "sick" karma

at out house right now....ugh!

Things You May, or May Not Want To See, In Your Orchard

An "uncontrolled" burn, on your neighbors property, NOT, something

you want to see so close to your orchard!

For a moment, The Farmer enjoyed the artistic beauty of the flames...


Luckily the fire was contained with not damage to our orchard.

SOMETHING!

that you would like to see in your orchard...your foreman putting the final

touches on a new source of water.

It does seem a little wrong though, ...don't ya think?


SOMETHING!

An orchard full of flowers is something you would want to see in your

orchard. Each flower represents a peach.

Each flower represents HOPE of a great year!

We ever live in HOPE in a farming community.

A Prom Like No Other!

This is where it began....the Jr. Prom 2009...in the "new addition." The contractor was so sweet to clean up the room so we could take prom pictures;) Now that is a great contractor! Anyway, this was PreShie's first big dance at school, at 14, you can attend all dances. So The Boy graciously invited his sister and cousins to be his dates at the prom.

They all looked so cute! Their dress were beautiful! PreShie had her hair done by the same lady who did her hair 11 years ago when she was crowned queen of her preschool. That is a big thing in this part of the world;) It was fun to hear this lady tell PreShie how fun it has been to watch her grow up. That was a moment I was grateful I have lived in a small town.


The Boy has been terribly sick this past week with a concusion as well as a very bad cold. But, he made it through the night. He took the beautiful girls to dinner and then took them to the dance.

This is a blurry view of our temple from the campus of the JSA, the high school that The Darling atttend. This prom night was extra special....we were also celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the temple being built here. Ten sessions were scheduled in a 24 hour period. Our ward was scheduled a midnight of prom night. So at 11:30 The Boy and the Beauties headed up the hill to participate in baptisms. The Farmer and I also attended and enjoyed spending time with our children in the temple.

It was a cold and windy night...but one that I am sure that will not

soon be forgotten. It was an extraordinary night!

Another beautiful picture of our temple, with the campus of the high

school at the base of the hill.

Seeking Balance....

BETWEEN....

and...

*high school games...city league...church tournament

and

don't forget 'THE CHAIR"

it waits for me..;)

and....THE DARLINGS

and certainly.....The Farmer....

The construction project...

The Farmer says that this project is a bit like the Griswalds....

"fun for about a week, and then...not so much."

(p.s. I love it!)

And then...last but not least...

why are we so dependent on food....for heaven's sake!

Be Inspired

I learned to love her through her first book...Selected Writings...but this
book is even more amazing! I highly recommend it.

Construction Update #3

It is really getting fun now! The whole process has really been alot of fun,

but we are enjoying the details now. Hummmm.....the paint.....

still not sure how that is going to go.

The fireplace is amazing! We love it!


The molding is beautiful.

And The Rooster....is having the time of his life! He said to The Farmer the other day

"Dad, you are never going to be able to move out of this house you know." The Farmer

said, "Why is that Rooster?" The Rooster said "Because your Boy helped build it."

And he really has enjoyed the process. He eats his lunch quickly so he can

"work" with the crew. He even keeps a measuring tape attached to his pants

....just in case.

Monkee Bread...Oh, Yum!

Oh....I had forgotten...How good Monkee Bread is.....

Monkee Bread

4 cans of refirgerator biscuits

(or any bread dough works)

1/2 c. butter

1 c. brown sugar

pecans, chopped (as many as you like)

1 c. white sugar

2 t. cinnamon

melt butter and brown sugar together. mix white sugar and cinnamon together in

a ziploc bag. cut biscuts into fourths and coat with white sugar mixture

(shake in bag). layer half of the coated biscuits in a greased bundt pan, with lots of

pecans sprinkled on top, then pour over half of the butter brown sugar mixture.

repeat with remaining biscuits.

Bake at 350 degrees, for 30-35 minutes.

remove from oven when golden brown and turn

out onto a large plate.

Enjoy!

Keep Calm.....

A Must???? I think so!

Especially this one!

A Little Bit Of Love....

The Darlings, wonderful church leaders, hosted a fancy sit down dinner for all the youth last Friday evening. The Boy was the date for all of the beautiful young ladies pictured above, also known as his cousins. Oh, and his sister.

They all looked so darling, dressed in their Sunday best. The Young Men had

flowers for each of the Young Women and they all enjoyed a wonderful dinner

served by their church leaders.


I love this picture! Only a look, a sister can have;)

The Boy and PreShie.

Sweet friends, and all cousins at the same time.

After the dinner, they all attended a dance hosted by the high school.

An evening of great fun!